Tour de France 2013 Favourites

From Saturday June 29 through SUNDAY, July 21, 2013 is the 100th Tour de France. The climbers are the main contenders for the Mountains jersey in the Tour?

Historic mountain classification

Mountain Classification has been around since 1933. The Spaniard Vicente Trueba won the year the mountain classification. At that time there was, however, no special sweater in conjunction with this classification.Only in 1975 the polka dot jersey was introduced as the shirt that would carry the leader of the mountains classification. The story goes that the first winner of the polka dot jersey, Belgian Lucien van Impe, wore this jersey in the Tour de France in 1975, with some embarrassment, since he is polka dot pattern on the shirt was pretty strange and ugly. Why climb shirt realms motives? At the time, sponsor of this classification was a chocolate brand. The packaging of the brand were white with red spots. The mountain jersey today for years no longer sponsored by chocolate brand, but the Tour organisation has decided to keep the famous buckets motifs on the mountain jersey.

Palmares

Frenchman Richard Virenque is the record for number of WINS in the mountain classification: he won seven times the mountain jersey. The Spaniard Federico Bahamontes and Belgian Lucien van Impe was successful both on six occasions to winning the mountains classification. Two times a Dutchman won mountain Jersey: Steven Rooks and Gert-Jan Theunisse 1988 1989.
Recent winners of the mountain classification, Frenchman Anthony Charteau, Spaniard Samuel Sanchez and the Frenchman Thomas Voeckler

Scoring

Below you can find the receipt in the case since 2012. When the arrival of a ride on the top of a climb is beyond category, the first category or the other category, then the number of points the riders will be doubled.
Scoring by category:

Hors group: 25, 20, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 points

1 category: 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points

Category 2:5, 3, 2 and 1 points

3 category: 2 and 1 points

4. Category: 1 point

Preview: the mountain jersey contenders in 2013

In recent years, it is often very difficult to predict who will win the mountain jersey. Overall, there are two ways you can play a key role in this classification. Firstly, there are drivers who often goes to attack, with a big goal: collect as many points on the road to the mountain classification. It makes these riders is not much that they thus a waste of energy and as a result may lose a lot of time for the general classification. They go only for the mountain classification.
In addition to these pure attacker, there is another group of cyclists who often plays an important role in the fight for the mountain jersey: classification riders Because classification riders are often in mountainous stages in the Group of favourites and sprint regularly to victories in mountain stages, it fits almost automatically many scale points. Initially the general classification for these riders have priority and will not waste a lot of energy to fight on points for the mountain classification. However, it may be changed in the course of the Tour. If they discover that their pricing “automatic”, but many mountain points are captured, they can nevertheless decide to also make a target of the mountains classification.
Tour organization prefers the polka dot jersey was won by a real name riders and not by a brave but relatively unknown attacker Anthony Charteau 2010. The Tour Organization has this preference for classification riders, because it gives more status to the polka dot jersey. In recent years, Tour organization also made several rule changes that were designed to damage the attackers and benefit classification riders. Yet there is still hope for the attacker. In 2012, Thomas Voeckler won the mountain classification. Of course, Tour organization will not have been sorry to see this victory as Voeckler a big name in the cycling world, but it was the way he won the Championship a remarkable, given all the rule changes that were designed to favor classification riders. Despite failed all these changes, Voeckler managed to win the mountain jersey by the old method of pure attacker: he often went to the attack and showed no interest in the general classification. The numbers two and three of this ranking, and Swede Frederik Kessiakoff and Dane Chris Anker Sörensen, owed his high position in this ranking also their attack.

Standings Riders

In principle, all riders who are mentioned in the list of the favourites for overall victory in the Tour of 2013 will also be contenders for the mountain classification. Whether they actually polka dot jersey will make a major targets will largely depend on price developments. Two riders who have a lot of talent in theory for the fight for the mountain jersey is Spaniards Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde. They are not only good climbers, but also has a lot of explosiveness that would perform well in the sprint for the mountain points. Another interesting candidate for the mountain jersey Andy Schleck. He has already hinted that he, because of his injuries and a serious mental dip, may not come in time in top shape to play a leading role in the fight for the yellow jersey in the Tour in 2013.Therefore, it is not established that he decides are not of the general classification, but the mountains classification to make their big goals.

French strikers

Various attack spirited French riders will surely feel, to their main purpose of the polka dot jersey.Until these drivers are: Thomas Voeckler, Thibaut Pinot, Pierre Rolland and Sylvain Chavanel. This foursome is Pinot comes talent probably the best climbers. It is, however, has a downside for his eventual polka dot jersey ambitions: since it can be very high, the end in both the standings for the yellow and the White Jersey, they will not allow him to soon run after breaking away points for the polka dot jersey. Of the above four Frenchmen Sylvain Chavanel is probably the weakest climber.

The Climbers Vacansoleil

When the Dutch team Vacansoleil DCM driver of course Johnny Hoogerland, which of course also delighted that the rock is the main goal would. He rode in the Tour 2011 several days in the polka dot jersey.Hoogerland is a great striker and a great climber, but probably he is a climber ‘ re not just good enough to pick up many points in the finals of the biggest mountain stages. The changes in recent years in points for the mountain classification has been made is definitely against him. Two teammates Hoogerland of Vacansoleil, the Belgian Thomas de Gendt and Dutchman Wout Poels, is generally better in absolute high mountains and is therefore potentially better candidates to fight for the mountain classification.

Results 2012

Mountains classification jersey 2012

Thomas Voeckler 135 points

Fredrik Carl Wilhelm Kessiakoff 123 points

Chris Anker Sörensen 77 points

Pierre Rolland 63 points

Alejandro Valverde 51 points

Chris Froome 48 points

Egoi Martinez 43 points

Thibaut Pinot 40 points

Brice Feillu 38 points

Daniel Martin 34 points

Special: the Tour de France 2013

This product is part of the Special at the Tour de France 2013. These special activities include also information on Favorites for the other classifications.